"Reasons" to go for Xperia Z or s4 (based on past experiences)

[androidindian]

I am not bashing or being a fan boy etc. to anyone.. being a tech lover and loving the xda community, this thread is about being open minded and discussing past experiences and taking decisions accordingly, not burning our hands again..​

Friends,

The idea of this thread is to outline significant practical reasons on why to move ahead with Sony Xperia Z rather than samsung devices..for a lot of the viewers who are waiting etc.

I have been seeing a lot of view points on why we should go for sony and not samsung anymore.. but personally.. I have used all samsung galaxy flagships over the years, and I keep getting dissapointed.. and this time I finally had a realization that its time to move to better companies who really are serious about what they are creating and who listen to their customers and the community. So I have outlined a few quotes and reasons from elite recognised devs to users with their experiences below. If you have any pointers you would like me to add, please feel free.

It's sad how many sheep are falling for Samsung's misleading "Octa" marketing which (falsely) implies that the device has 8 cores of equal capability.

IT DOES NOT.

It is a quad core device, with four additional low-power cores. More proper marketing would be 4+4 (kind of like Nvidia's 4+1 marketing).

There's also no benefit to having four low-power cores... In any situation where you'd drop to the lowpower cores, you'll also be hotplugging out all of the extra cores. A single low-power core will provide nearly all of the power reduction benefits of a full set of low-power cores. Yes, it'll be easier to handle migration in software - but it's throwing a pile of hardware resources (hardware cost) at a software problem to make up for Samsung's utterly ****ty track record with regards to software integration and quality control. Heck, look at ICS on the I9100 - they couldn't even get basic cpufreq policy limit implementation right with that release!

Samsung's architecture doesn't handle asymmetric core loading well at all. If you have one core maxed out, and want to run some light tasks on a second core - guess what, you have to light up that second core and run it at full tilt. Samsung has a whitepaper that claims this is a good thing, but if you look at their architecture closely (check the cpuidle driver in arch/arm/mach-exynos of their kernels...) you'll notice a nasty flaw - All of the deeper cpuidle states are disabled if more than one core is active. This means that the second core is consuming almost as much power as if it were running at 100% load even if it might only be running at 10% load. Snapdragon can actually reduce the clock/voltage of additional cores that are active but lightly loaded.

Of course, the most important thing is software integration - absolutely awesome hardware means nothing if the software supporting it is ****. Look at the Galaxy Nexus - Thanks to Google and TI doing a great job of integrating the "Project Butter" capabilities of Jellybean, the Galaxy Nexus delivers smoother UI performance with a dual 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9 than the GS3 can with quad 1.4 GHz A9s...

That is what you will get with the Galaxy S4 - Awesome hardware paired with utterly crap software, leading to an overall crap experience. With the Xperia Z, you'll get great hardware paired with great software - for an overall great experience.

If you love development and love open source, sony is the way to go, (also the chipset being similar to the nexus 4 ) not just amazing hardware but their developer relations team is amazing! they would be extending support to developer and community here at xda. Unlike samsung which uses cheap materials and does not have a real aesthetic taste with industrial design, their software department is really in a mess. They never releases driver binaries. Most of their code is outdated and has bugs. and lately each device software or upgrade comes with brickable bugs and security issues.

Those who are looking for hardware.. technology will keep becoming more compact and billion times powerful every month now, its exponential growth, so if we keep waiting for the next and the next, we will also be stuck in a loop of waiting. By the time s4 is announce, sony or htc would announce an even better phone.. so we would love to wait for that.. it is endless.

So the idea is to go for a device you instantly love, and not wait.. and go for a device where the OEM gives fantastic developer support!

 

[cloud9x]

how does one make a topic like this when the s4 isn't even out

i don't understand it

like is the fanboyism and anti-fanboyism within android communities this bad? that we can't even talk about one new phone coming out without talking about another one that you have no idea about whatsoever?

like really. the topic is called 'top reasons to get the xperia z instead of s4'

the s4 doesn't exist yet, is a starter. you don't know anything about it, is another. you have not even the slightest semblance as to what it could be like is yet another. the rest of the list kind of goes on in the same fashion.

why not wait for the s4 to be announced before making a trollbait thread like this?

 

[-A-P-M-]

Re: Top "Reasons" to get the Xperia Z instead of s4

how does one make a topic like this when the s4 isn't even out

i don't understand it

like is the fanboyism and anti-fanboyism within android communities this bad? that we can't even talk about one new phone coming out without talking about another one that you have no idea about whatsoever?

like really. the topic is called 'top reasons to get the xperia z instead of s4'

the s4 doesn't exist yet, is a starter. you don't know anything about it, is another. you have not even the slightest semblance as to what it could be like is yet another. the rest of the list kind of goes on in the same fashion.

why not wait for the s4 to be announced before making a trollbait thread like this?

Because Samsung didnt provide needed sources, same story was on SGS2 and is now on SGS3. Samsung promised them with deadline end of 2012, but as far as I know, sources wasnt released. Because of that, CM development on SGS3 has almost stopped and question is if SGS4 will get CM support. On other side, according to devs Sony support dev community, provide sources, so they can build more stable roms in much shorter time. That is a reason why I will try Xperia Z - hardware is good enough, looks very premium and I expect much better development on it.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

 

[xuskey]

AW: Top "Reasons" to get the Xperia Z instead of s4

how does one make a topic like this when the s4 isn't even out

i don't understand it

like is the fanboyism and anti-fanboyism within android communities this bad? that we can't even talk about one new phone coming out without talking about another one that you have no idea about whatsoever?

like really. the topic is called 'top reasons to get the xperia z instead of s4'

the s4 doesn't exist yet, is a starter. you don't know anything about it, is another. you have not even the slightest semblance as to what it could be like is yet another. the rest of the list kind of goes on in the same fashion.

why not wait for the s4 to be announced before making a trollbait thread like this?

I kind of agree with you but I also agree with androidindian... I am now about 2 and a half years with Android and had 2 Samsung phones... They just are bad: non quality materials, bad support for developers and they take too long to update and when they do its mostly bad aswell... I agree that we can't talk bad or good about a phone that isn't even out yet but I can imagine that Samsung will not do a better job it did before^^

Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

 

[androidindian]

Absolutely mate. its not about being a fan boy or not liking a company or something. I use apple, windows and android products.. and i love all of them..

I love technology and I love android and its open source environment.

The idea is so educate and make others aware of my or our experiences with samsung.. and I don't want others to go through the same experiences and pain which we have gone through.

Samsung is really bad with its development friendliness.. they are highly closed sourced and even if they release any sources, are very "buggy". They don't care about the development community .. all they care is selling as much as possible..

a lot of the users here might not know the issues samsung has towards development.. they don't care about anything.. just releasing phones in quantity and not focusing on quality.

The idea is to just let others know about the cores, and development status of samsung, after all people spend money and get dissapointed instantly.

The reason im definitely going for sony is, that CM and aokp upbringing is so quick and sony developer relation team is very friendly and supportive.. http://developer.sonymobile.com/

dont we love having the latest and greatest of android?
its always an issue with samsung in that case.

 

[cloud9x]

Because Samsung didnt provide needed sources, same story was on SGS2 and is now on SGS3. Samsung promised them with deadline end of 2012, but as far as I know, sources wasnt released. Because of that, CM development on SGS3 has almost stopped and question is if SGS4 will get CM support. On other side, according to devs Sony support dev community, provide sources, so they can build more stable roms in much shorter time. That is a reason why I will try Xperia Z - hardware is good enough, looks very premium and I expect much better development on it.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1778270 - the 10k reply CM10-10.1 thread on d2att forums.

The I9300 might have stopped development (having been an Exynos phone) but CM development is very well and happy with the i747. Developer support all comes down to yes, the ease of development but also how popular the phone itself is.

 

[androidindian]

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1778270 - the 10k reply CM10-10.1 thread on d2att forums.

The I9300 might have stopped development (having been an Exynos phone) but CM development is very well and happy with the i747. Developer support all comes down to yes, the ease of development but also how popular the phone itself is.

everything is opensource gralloc, hwcomposer etc.. it doesnt even have working butter and some things are not working well too

its the genius of devs like entropy and codeworkx which made that happen but they are tired and unhappy of samsung not supporting them..

 

[androidindian]

I kind of agree with you but I also agree with androidindian... I am now about 2 and a half years with Android and had 2 Samsung phones... They just are bad: non quality materials, bad support for developers and they take too long to update and when they do its mostly bad aswell... I agree that we can't talk bad or good about a phone that isn't even out yet but I can imagine that Samsung will not do a better job it did before^^

Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

Totally!

 

[dreamerAxe]

Please elaborate

Will copy paste same reply that i just posted on Another thread..


1) Sony is pathetic when it comes to warranty and policies not just in the country i live but around the world

2) I laugh at people considering Sony as a company producing good looking phones.. May be u think so about samsung coz you're some designer or wannabe designer kissing ass looking looking for dream job.. Sony had some of the best designs only while it was Sony Ericsson.. But not after it became xperia.

3) Again, built quality of Sony isn't great either! May be their exterior phone housing is, but their components suck. Samsung is cheap plastic outside but solid quality components inside.. Which is what matters.

4) Stop being ridiculous and stop bashing samsung for not being developer friendly.. If you want that then go for nexus phone.. As simple as that.

Samsung is SLOW, yes.. BUT it's not impossible. Also one can't blame manufacturers for updates when Google is raining new os or updates. If u dont know why am saying this then you don't even deserve to use a non nexus device. I do blame samsung for being retard about their bugs and issues and what not...

Last but not the least.. Sony display suck a#& big time.. Their brava and bright engine is just cheap gimmick. I have xperia s with me right now. Their camera also suck specially while doing hd recording. Yet to see z in person, which should happen soon for me

Can't say much about Sgs4 coz its pointless to waste time on it atm.

Yes samsung was ridiculously cheap quality.. But their built on note2 is quite sturdy and strong. Have an s3 and note2 in the house next to mine and I've seen note 2 bashed by small kid while playing games on it and it's freaking rock solid.

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---------- Post added at 01:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:26 PM ----------

Not to mention the hardware features that samsung provides at the price which Sony fails big time. Same with other brands Other than Sony.


Am Here not a fan boy of samsung or any brand.


Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

Could you please elaborate on your past experiences with Sony mobile ? I have not owned a Sony mobile so I cant say anything. I am as much interested in this product as the next guy and I would not want to drop my hard-earned cash on something which is gonna conk in 1 year. Although, I own a Sony LED TV, PS3, PS2 among others and they have been pretty much solid.

 

[barondebxl]

There's already another thread talking about those 2 phones.

Sent from my One X using Tapatalk 2

 

[Brac20]

I have a question for those who have had Sony devices in the past.

I have heard it is nice and easy to unlock the bootloader on Sony phones.

Now is this the HTC style of unlock where some things are unlocked but others are not?

Also is it easy to do on a branded phone? If I get this phone it will likely be Three branded.

Thanks

 

[Entropy512]

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1778270 - the 10k reply CM10-10.1 thread on d2att forums.

The I9300 might have stopped development (having been an Exynos phone) but CM development is very well and happy with the i747. Developer support all comes down to yes, the ease of development but also how popular the phone itself is.

Your example was a Qualcomm-based device. The reason d2att is in good shape has NOTHING to do with Samsung and EVERYTHING to do with Qualcomm. Now that Qualcomm is selling baseband chips that don't require a Qualcomm host CPU, you're far less likely to ever see a Qualcomm-based Samsung flagship again.

I have a question for those who have had Sony devices in the past.

I have heard it is nice and easy to unlock the bootloader on Sony phones.

Now is this the HTC style of unlock where some things are unlocked but others are not?

Also is it easy to do on a branded phone? If I get this phone it will likely be Three branded.

Thanks

If your device is SIM-locked, it will almost surely NOT have an unlockable bootloader.

If it is branded but not SIMlocked it might have an unlockable bootloader.

 

[Mockingbird]

Could you please elaborate on your past experiences with Sony mobile ? I have not owned a Sony mobile so I cant say anything. I am as much interested in this product as the next guy and I would not want to drop my hard-earned cash on something which is gonna conk in 1 year. Although, I own a Sony LED TV, PS3, PS2 among others and they have been pretty much solid.

I own an X8 which its still in good shape even after some serious drops. My father`s samsung galaxy s plus never dropped it on solid stuff ,only on carpet and that shiny cover around the phone scratches and sounds like s**t . Both phones bought new with warranty so no second hand

Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

 

[force70]

I will more than likely buy both the Z (if its avail in Canada) and the S4 but if Sony locks the bootloader it will make me think twice. I bought an ION over Xmas to use a back up phone and have some fun with only to find out I cant unlock the bootloader..I havent even taken it out of the box yet..no point lol and I will probably just dump it for cheap.

 

[harise100]

Samsung officially supports their 2011 flagship devices (S2, Note) with Jelly Bean. Sony is still struggling to support even their 2012 devices with Jelly Bean let alone the older ones.
All their support for CM / FXP is not worth a dime if the kernel / drivers don't support the features of the latest Android version. i.e. Project Butter.

So unless I see a drastic change in their firmware update policy, it will be the S4.

That's sad, because I think that the Z is one of the most beautiful phones I've ever seen with great hardware inside.

 

[alicepattinson]

I kind of agree with you but I also agree with androidindian... I am now about 2 and a half years with Android and had 2 Samsung phones... They just are bad: non quality materials, bad support for developers and they take too long to update and when they do its mostly bad aswell... I agree that we can't talk bad or good about a phone that isn't even out yet but I can imagine that Samsung will not do a better job it did before^^

Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

I agree with Alain, well I guess Samsung get's too overly populated since it's the world's widest company and they couldnt handle all of the costumer's feedback, updates etc but I think they're trying to cope up coz I can't wait for the S4. I think it's going to be a great catch. Sony is also good, especially it's now starting to have great features than before. Well, let's see what happens this year

 

[androidindian]

Samsung officially supports their 2011 flagship devices (S2, Note) with Jelly Bean. Sony is still struggling to support even their 2012 devices with Jelly Bean let alone the older ones.
All their support for CM / FXP is not worth a dime if the kernel / drivers don't support the features of the latest Android version. i.e. Project Butter.

So unless I see a drastic change in their firmware update policy, it will be the S4.

That's sad, because I think that the Z is one of the most beautiful phones I've ever seen with great hardware inside.

samsung updated s2, note to jb but they have postponed the updates each month from november onwards.
plus their software quality is really full of bugs. brick bugs, security exploits etc. really bad quality

i would always prefer them taking more time and not have such serious bugs atleast, even after leaking roms beforehand..

sony might have taken time before, but their os quality is really good!
also.. their developer relations team and support for cm and xda devs is just too good!

samsung doesn't even want to listen to developers..

 

[harise100]

samsung updated s2, note to jb but they have postponed the updates each month from november onwards.
plus their software quality is really full of bugs. brick bugs, security exploits etc. really bad quality

i would always prefer them taking more time and not have such serious bugs atleast, even after leaking roms beforehand..

sony might have taken time before, but their os quality is really good!
also.. their developer relations team and support for cm and xda devs is just too good!

samsung doesn't even want to listen to developers..

Hmm... I once had a Xperia Neo, which I passed on to my little sis and which I still do the maintainance for...

I have no grim against Sony but I don't share your enthusiasm either. (0% Bug, one-click rooters based on exploids, locked boot loaders,...) .

Time will tell.... I'll wait until all major companys have presented their 2013 flagships.

 

[Brac20]

If your device is SIM-locked, it will almost surely NOT have an unlockable bootloader.

If it is branded but not SIMlocked it might have an unlockable bootloader.

If I could just get some further clarification here.

If a phone is SIM-locked (as most branded devices are?) and I then pay the carrier to get SIM lock removed, will this free up the bootloader in the process?

 

[wednesday13]

Samsung officially supports their 2011 flagship devices (S2, Note) with Jelly Bean. Sony is still struggling to support even their 2012 devices with Jelly Bean let alone the older ones.
All their support for CM / FXP is not worth a dime if the kernel / drivers don't support the features of the latest Android version. i.e. Project Butter.

So unless I see a drastic change in their firmware update policy, it will be the S4.

That's sad, because I think that the Z is one of the most beautiful phones I've ever seen with great hardware inside.

Dude, I switched from s3 to TX and Sony's implementation of ics is 100x faster than Samsung's jelly bean. Samsung pushes for quick updates but very buggy and they haven't implemented buttery smooth on crapwiz.

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